Mexico secured a crucial 2-0 win over Ecuador and advanced to the Round of 16 in the FIFA World Cup 2026. But ahead of their high-stakes clash against England, Mexican fans employed a chaotic method to help ensure a win. This pushed Emmanuel Acho to remember a decade-old incident. 

“When I was on the Eagles, we played the @49ers in San Fran in 2014,” the former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker wrote on X. “[At] 3am the fire alarms went off on the 4th and 9th floor. The whole team had to evacuate.

“I thought that was cruel. But this right here by Mexico, oh this takes the cake.” 

The Eagles entered the Week 4 game against the 49ers with a 3-0 record and wanted to maintain a clean sweep to dominate the NFC East. Meanwhile, the 49ers were sitting at a 1-2 score. They needed a win at Levi’s Stadium to keep their season from spiralling.  But the night before the game, while the Eagles players were resting, an abrupt, false fire alarm woke them up.

But Niner fans weren’t done yet. Shortly after their division rivals went back to sleep, the alarm blared off for a second time.

San Francisco won that game 26-21.

Outside the JW Marriott hotel in Santa Fe, a large crowd gathered with loudspeakers and horns, determined to disrupt the England players’ sleep. They banged on the drums and blew trumpets. Others tried to keep the players up with fireworks. 

Fans had pulled these stunts ahead of their Ecuador clash, too. The team complained to FIFA after a notorious group created a ruckus outside their hotel, preventing the players from sleeping.

For the game, around 7,500 officers were deployed at the Azteca Stadium to manage the fans before, during, and after the game. 3,300 more were deployed in Zócalo. English fans were advised to avoid specific areas where the Mexicans gather to celebrate their wins. 

Team England’s manager, Thomas Tuchel, previously anticipated the disruption. But he disregarded the impact it could have on the players. Since kickoff was at 6 pm on Sunday, players had enough time to rest up. England had the last laugh, defeating Mexico 3-2.